Backdrop for Puppet Show c. 1937

Vera Van Voris's watercolor "Backdrop for Puppet Show" presents us with a scene steeped in domestic symbolism, resonating with centuries of cultural memory. The hearth, dominated by a cauldron of flames, has been a central motif across cultures, from the sacred Vestal Virgins tending the eternal flame in ancient Rome to the fairy tales where the witch is by the boiling pot. This duality, warmth and danger, has become a potent symbol of life's elemental forces. Clothes hanging on the line, bottles displayed like trophies, a broom leaning against the wall; these are the remnants left behind after life has taken place. Notice how the image has been split into two halves, one of the hearth where a cauldron of flames is kept, and the other a sparse empty room. Perhaps this contrast can evoke the duality between home as a safe space, and home as a dangerous confinement. These symbols, passed down through time, continue to tap into our collective subconscious, creating a powerful, cyclical echo across generations.